Hidden in Plain Sight
by Joe Coool
Summary: During a mission, Naruto manages to save Hinata, but severely damages his body in the process. Both Naruto and Hinata begin to wonder if there was more behind Naruto's sacrifice than mere camaraderie. Does Naruto have romantic feelings for Hinata? Will Hinata be able to summon the courage to confess her feelings to Naruto?
1. Chapter 1

Darkness was all she could see. She could feel the wind against her face. Her eyes hurt from being clenched so tightly. She opened them, hoping that her situation was better than before.

It wasn't.

All that Hinata saw was a wall of jagged rock rushing past her. She tilted her head back and saw the rapidly approaching bottom. The air howled past her body, fanning out her hair as she plummeted to the bottom of the crevice. She was terrified; she couldn't even let out a scream. She closed her eyes again, hoping that it would all go away, but knowing that it would not. As if that wasn't bad enough, she felt something tighten around her chest, squeezing the life out of her. Hinata's mind was overloaded with fear, emotion, and anticipation of her imminent death. She braced herself for the impact, until she finally collided with the bottom.

It was soft. It absorbed her the fall, leaving her mostly undamaged. 'It was just a genjutsu,' she thought to herself. Her heart pounded against her chest; it felt as if it was going to explode. Hinata opened her eyes, expecting to see the sunny field she was standing on only moments ago, filled with sunshine, grass, and fresh breezes.

Instead, she saw the same rock walls she had seen before. This time, however, they was not distorted as they were while rushing past her field of vision. 'If I'm still in here,' she thought, confused, 'then why is the ground soft? Surely he didn't plan for that to happen…' Her questions were quickly answered when an exasperated cry of pain sounded from beneath her, and she felt warm droplets of blood land on her cheek. Her eyes widened as she slowly turned to see the source of the blood. When she saw what it was, she let out a gasp.  
Sprawled out below her was a young ninja, wearing a bright orange and black jacket. His blonde hair was long and unruly, and there were three whisker marks on either side of his face. Directly on top of him was Hinata. She quickly removed herself from his body, tears beginning to blur her sight. There was blood coming out of his mouth, trickling down his chin before running down his neck. His eyes were shut tightly, his teeth bared as he tried to cope with the pain. His arms lay useless at his sides, and she could see that his shoulder was out of place. Finally, it became too unbearable. Hinata's eyes ran freely as she heard an animalistic roar of pain escape from his throat, spattering more blood around his already battered face. He continued to cry out, his body convulsing as he writhed involuntarily. Hinata was in such a state of shock that she couldn't do anything. She fell to the ground, tears gushing out of her eyes like waterfalls, holding herself as she tried to escape the torments of the image of a dying Naruto that was already carved into her subconscious. She opened her eyes again to find herself staring at her ceiling. The sunshine was in her eyes, refracting through her tears to form visible beams. She slowly got up and rubbed her eyes, pulling her sheets back into place. Heading into the bathroom, she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "It was only a dream,' she thought to herself. 'It was so real, the falling, the blood, the…' Hinata shuddered at the vividness of her dream, before showering, putting on her training outfit, and heading out to her team's training area.

She arrived in the forest where she, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino meet, only to find she was alone. 'Why is nobody here?' She looked up at where the sun was. 'It's about 10:00, where are Kiba and Shino?' She shrugged and started walking to the nearby lake. Setting her pack down, she removed her jacket before walking out to the center of the lake. Although her clothes hindered her movements while practicing, she had learned the hard way the consequences of practicing without them. She was lucky that Naruto had lost his balance, but it could have very easily become an awkward situation for both of them. Shaking her head of these thoughts, she closed her eyes and began to practice.

* * *

The doors to the Konoha Hospital opened as two teenage shinobi walked out. "I'm still surprised that you even visited him. You've never visited anybody in the hospital before. Not even me…"

"For one to perform such a selfless act for one he considers only a friend," the other ninja said, hiding behind his hood and dark sunglasses, "that is the type of act that deserves recognition."

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't come visit me in the hospital," Kiba muttered. As they walked out into the street, they saw their final teammate approaching. "Hey! Hinata! Where were you?"

Hinata approached Kiba and Shino and asked, "I- I thought we were training today."

Shino turned towards Hinata, his sunglasses reflecting the sun's rays. "Do you not remember anything from yesterday?" he asked calmly.

Hinata was surprised at this question, but when she thought about it, she couldn't remember anything from the previous day. "Uhh… I guess not… I'm sorry, what were we supposed to do?"

"You mean you don't remember anything at all?" Kiba exclaimed. "We had a mission yesterday!"

"I-I'm sorry, Kiba-kun. I don't remember any… mission…"

"I believe that she doesn't remember because she faced a lot of trauma," Shino said flatly to his teammate. Turning back to Hinata, he asked, "What do you remember?"

"W-Well, I... I don't know… All I remember is waking up from a bad dream this morning, and going out to our training spot."

"What was this dream you had?"

"Wh- Why do you ask?"

"Did it involve Naruto?"

"How did you-"

"Did it involve Naruto getting severely injured?"

Hinata mind was filled with questions. "How… How did you know all of those things? It was a dream… my dream… right?" She looked up questioningly at Kiba and Shino. The two looked at each other briefly, before turning back. She noticed a sad look in Kiba's face. He took a breath, and was about to speak, when Hinata beat him to it. "It… It wasn't a dream, was it?" She didn't even need a response. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, tear forming in her eyes. "H-H-How… How could… could this have…ha-happened?" she cried. She didn't want to believe it. Her heart, though, knew this to be true. "I-I-Is… h-he alr-right?" she managed to ask some moments later.

Shino spoke up in his monotonous tone that always seemed to have a soothing effect. "Naruto will be fine, Hinata. He is currently under the care of the Hokage. There is nothing to fear." At hearing this, Hinata's tear ducts began to let up.

"S-so… h-he's ok?"

"Of course he is!" Kiba said brightly, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere. "He may be bed-ridden for a while, but he'll make it, you just watch."

Hinata smiled and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. "Th-Thank you Kiba-kun, Shino-kun." She hugged her friends before walking inside the hospital. Once inside, she looked at the labeled hallways before leading herself to the urgent care room. She sat down on the familiar white benches outside, and waited. Kiba and Shino walked away, Hinata's reaction still heavy on their minds. "I wish I had as much confidence in my words as she did," Kiba heard Shino say to himself.

* * *

The hours flew by; team after team of exhausted medic-nins came out of the doors, replaced by fresh ones. Each time the doors opened, she snapped her eyes up, hoping to see Tsunade walk out. Each time, however, she was disappointed. She made the best of it and tried to catch a glimpse of Naruto, but all she saw was a faint green glow emanating from the room. More time passed, and she began to worry. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw a young kunoichi with pink hair. "Hey Hinata. You waiting for Naruto?"

"H-Hai…" she replied. Sakura removed her hand from Hinata's shoulder and sat down. "H-How long is he… is he going to be…"

"I wish I knew. When he came in, he was in pretty bad shape…" Sakura noticed the changed expression on Hinata's face, and quickly added, "But I'm sure Tsunade and everyone else is working their hardest to ensure a speedy recovery."

"How… How long… has he…?"

Sakura leaned back on the wall and tilted her head up. "Oh, boy. He's been here since you guys came back from your mission yesterday. Tsunade's been working really hard on him." Turning to Hinata, she asked, "What did that idiot do to himself this time? I haven't been given the full details."

Hinata felt a small pang of anger towards Sakura for calling Naruto an idiot. She let out a small sigh and explained their situation. Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief as Hinata described what had ensued. When Hinata got to the part about Naruto's injuries, she put her hand over her mouth and gasped. "Oh my… god… I had heard he was in bad shape, but I didn't know it was that bad…" She watched as Hinata merely sat in silence with her eyes turned towards the door. Sakura smiled slightly and added, "He must really like you."

Hinata felt warmth growing in her cheeks and turned her attention back to Sakura. "Wh-What makes you s-say that?"

"Well, probably just the fact that he risked his own life to save you," Sakura said, sarcasm dripping from her every word. "How many people do you know that would do that?"

"We-Well, I-I don't know…"

"Hinata, this is your chance to tell him how you feel."

Hinata stared wide eyed at her friend, a blush covering her whole face. "I-I don't know what yo-"

"Hinata, we all know how you feel for him." Hinata's face became even redder at this comment, and she turned away. "Come on, every time you get near him, your face becomes red, you can't get out coherent sentences, or you faint. You should just tell him how you feel. Chances are, he feels the same way."

Hinata turned back. "H-How do you know he will?"

"Hinata, I've been his teammate for a long time. I know that he normally would have used a shadow clone to save someone in a situation like that."

Sakura's words dawned upon Hinata. 'Why didn't he use a shadow clone? He could have saved himself so much pain…'

"He must have been really worried about you to rush after you himself," Sakura continued. "You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!"

Hinata was still a bit nervous. "I-I don't know… Wh-What if I…"

"Hinata, you'll be fine. I'm sure that you can work up the courage if you just believe in yourself. You're a great person, Hinata; talented, kind, caring, and beautiful." Hinata smiled and turned her eyes away, feeling another blush appearing. "Those are the qualities that men look for, and I'm sure that Naruto realizes that."

"O-Ok… I'll… I'll do it." She finally agreed. 'How am I going to be able to get close enough to Naruto without fainting, let alone ask him how he feels about me…'

Sakura smiled, then sat up, extending a hand to Hinata. "I'm happy for you. Come on, let's go home. It's pretty late, and Naruto will probably not be allowed to have visitors for a long time." Hinata took the extended hand, pulled herself up, and followed Sakura outside before saying goodbye and leaving to go back to her house.

* * *

Darkness.

Everywhere.

'Dammit, again? What'd I do now?'

Light.

In the distance.

Approaching.

'Let's just get this over with.'

The light slowly changed into a memory. Soon, it enveloped his whole conscience.

'Ok, let's see what happened this time.'

The first memory showed up on the mental screen.

_"That is your mission. You will leave tomorrow morning. Dismissed!"_

"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" the four man team responded in unison before walking back out the door.

"Man, how lame is that? We're on a stupid bandit mission. Those guys never put up a fight."

"We are shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. As such, it is our duty to-"

"Yea, yea, I get it, I get it. We gotta do the mission because we're supposed to. I'm just sayin' that I wouldn't mind a harder one."

"Yo, Naruto. I feel ya, man. I don't like these easy missions either. Let's just get it done quickly so we don't have to worry about it."

"You're right, Kiba. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"S-See you to-tomorrow, N-Naruto-kun."

'Man, Hinata sure stutters a lot. I wonder why.' The scene faded to a vision of Naruto and the other three ninjas arriving at their destination.

_"Ahh, you must be the Konoha Ninja that our lord had requested," a servant greeted them as the team approached the front door. "Please, follow me."_

The four ninja bowed politely to the patron, a wealthy feudal lord, before sitting down on the mats. "I am not one for pleasantries; I prefer to get right down to business," the feudal lord said to them as they entered. "A group of bandits have recently stolen an assortment of valuables from my coffers. The bandits' camp is located in the mountains to the North-East. I believe that they have approximately 50 henchmen, although many of them are trained in only the most basic of fighting skills. Surely, this will not prove problematic for you?"

Naruto was about to stand up and obnoxiously complain about the ease of the mission when Shino placed his arm in front of Naruto's body. "We will have your possessions back by this evening." With that, Shino stood up and walked out of the door. The remaining members of the team silently did the same. They met outside and quickly formed a strategy before heading off towards the bandit encampment.

'Jeez, if I ended up like this because of some stupid bandits, I'm gonna be pissed.'

_After a relatively easy battle between the experienced shinobi and the untrained mercenaries, the team found the stolen items and returned to the feudal lord. After a few words of thanks from their client, they began their trip back home._

'Meh, another easy mission done. I can't believe that was rank B…"

"Hey, Naruto, look at it this way; easy mission, easy money. And this one wasn't that bad of pay, either."

"I-It's nice to g-get out of the vi-village once in a while."

"Yes. It is important for us shinobi to see the world around us, so that we are not kept in the dark."

"I still like Kiba's reason," Naruto said, bumping fists with his friend.

'Yea, when I wake up, I'm gonna be loaded! As long as they don't make me pay for my hospital bills again. Dammit, I hate it when they do that…"

* * *

_"Everyone be prepared. Someone is following us."_

"Ya, Akamaru and I can smell him. He smells like the bandits. I'm pretty sure we got all of them before…"

"We did, but there was one important person missing from the action: the bandit lord."

"All right! I was lookin' for a good fight!"

"Not if I get him first!"

"Is that a bet, Naruto?"

"Hell yea it is!"

"Everyone, we will stop in the field up ahead and confront him. Remember, he is probably very skilled. We must all work as a team." Shino turned to Naruto and added, "That means you."

"Yea, yea…"

The four teens landed in the middle of the field and turned around. Sure enough, there was a man following behind them. "I see you have noticed me," the bandit lord called out to them. "I'm sure you kids don't want any trouble. So just return my things to me and I will be on my way."

"In your dreams! You stole from an honest man, there's no way we're giving anything back to you!"

"My, my. You sure are one with a… rock-hard resolve." At this, the enemy placed his hands together and formed some hand signs.

"Move!" Shino and the others jumped away just in time to avoid the rock spikes that had formed where they stood moments ago. They landed and took battle stances. "Naruto, team up with Kiba and Akamaru," Shino said quietly to his team. "Hinata, stay back, and attack when you see an opening. I will provide defense for when you need it."

"Right! Let's go, Akamaru!" Akamaru let out a low-pitched bark before charging at the enemy.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto formed about 20 shadow clones and rushed at his opponent. The bandit lord merely formed a few more hand signs, causing the ground to be upturned under the ninja's feet. Rock spikes were flying everywhere, impaling Naruto's clones before making them disappear in a puff of smoke. Kiba and Akamaru managed to get in a hit, sending the earth jutsu user flying. Shino lunged at him in midair and threw a punch, but he missed. The enemy landed and took a defensive position.

_"Hinata, get ready," Shino said quietly. Unbeknownst to the others, he was smirking underneath his jacket. Even though his punch had missed, he still accomplished his objective. The set his chakra insects flying towards the enemy's body, where Shino had planted a female. The bandit could not attack; his jutsu were not suited for combating small opponents such as bugs. Instead, he began to meld his body into the ground below them. Hinata activated her Byakugan and began to search the area. Suddenly, she threw a juuken strike at the ground next to her. The bandit materialized out of the ground grabbing his left arm. He looked at Hinata with anger written all over his face. She quickly backed off, but not because she was afraid of him._

"Rasengan!" The bandit lord turned to see Naruto in the air with a blue sphere of chakra in his hand. Before he could move, Naruto smashed the ball into the enemy's chest, shooting him across the ground and leaving a rut in his path.

'Yea, I totally beat his ass!'

_"Well, it seems I may not be able to defeat you," their opponent said._

"That is correct, and we will detain you and bring you back to Konoha so that you may be punished for your crimes."

"I don't remember that part. I believe you have to catch me first."

"It's over, old man. No matter what you do, we will defeat you!"

A smirk came over his face. "Oh? Well, in that case…" His hands flew quickly as they made a series of seals. "In that case, think fast!" He threw his open palm onto the ground.

_**"AGGHHHH!"**_

"HINATA!"

_Kiba, Shino, and Naruto turned to see a rift open in the ground and swallow Hinata. She screamed as she began to fall towards the bottom._

Before Naruto knew what he was doing, he bolted towards where Hinata had fallen.

_**"YOU GUYS, GET HIM!"**__Kiba and Shino nodded and ran after the retreating bandit. Kiba looked back at Naruto and saw him running on all fours at an incredible speed, making him appear to be an orange blur. Naruto jumped into the air and formed a shadow clone. The clone grabbed Naruto by the legs and swung him around. When the timing was right, the clone let go, and Naruto flew into the crevice below him rapidly accelerating to catch up with Hinata. The wind rushed past his face so fast that his eyes watered. The twin bands of his headband flapped behind him as he formed his body into a streamline shape. In the darkness, he saw Hinata's form. She didn't appear to be moving. Suddenly, he saw the floor approach her figure. When he finally caught up with her, he threw his arms around her torso and rolled them so that he was on the bottom. As the bottom grew nearer, he began to tense up, awaiting the impact. His body smashed into the ground with a sickening '__**Thud**__', followed by Hinata's body falling on top of his. He could feel the jagged floor cutting into his back. He could feel the pain in his spine. But, worst of all, he could feel his shoulder blade shatter, each shard piercing through his muscle in a different direction. He clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth._

_Hinata slowly stirred and unknowingly thrust her elbow into his chest. Naruto's body jolted at the pain and he coughed up blood. He watched as three droplets flew towards Hinata before landing on her cheek. A surprised look suddenly appeared on her face. 'Did she not know I was here?' His question was answered when she turned look at him. She gasped and quickly removed herself from his torso. Even though her weight was now off of his body, the pain was still unbearable. Finally, he couldn't withhold it any longer. He let out a cry of pain from the back of his throat. The sound was raspy and feral, much like the Kyuubi. His outcry echoed throughout the rift, and he felt blood leaving his mouth as a fine mist before resting on his face. He continued to scream as the pain surged through his body, traveling from every extremity up his sore and probably broken spine before registering in his brain, which was already overloaded. After what seemed like an eternity, he could feel himself being picked up. His back arched, causing his damaged vertebrae to glide against themselves, sending renewed pain throughout his body. As he felt his carrier travel with him, Naruto finally succumbed to his current unconscious state.  
_  
'Damn… I've really done it this time, haven't I?' Naruto's mind had finished playing the flashback, and the memories receded, leaving him in darkness yet again. 'Well, at least I saved Hinata. Hmm… wonder how's she's doing.' Naruto's conscious began thinking about the pale-eyed kunoichi. 'I really hope she's doing ok…'

**"You truly are a dense one…"  
**  
"Hey, who asked for your opinion, Kyuubi?"

**"You are the reason she is in so much pain right now."  
**  
"Yea? And why the hell should I believe you?"

**"Watch yourself, boy…"  
**  
"I think you need to watch yourself. I'm tired of listening to you."

**"Very well. Return to your life. Continue to hurt others. You are weak, boy, when you do not have me to help you."  
**  
"If being weak means protecting my friends, I would give up all of my strength. I'm done talking to you." With that, Naruto shut off communications with the demon and continued to think in silence; surrounded by darkness, waiting to wake up.


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata found her thoughts constantly drift to her rescuer during the next week. As much as she tried to think about something else, she couldn't. She was thrilled to learn that, after a grueling operation, Tsunade declared that Naruto would live. She had realigned his skeleton, repaired the surrounding muscle tissue, and had to coax his body to literally create a new shoulder blade from nothing. Following this, Tsunade was then taken to the nearest vacant room where she was treated for extreme exhaustion; she had been working on the young shinobi from the start, and was severely low on both sleep and nourishment. Naruto's body was put into a stasis mode, allowing the Kyuubi's chakra to accelerate the natural healing process. However, it was uncertain when he would awaken from his restorative hibernation.

The hallways of the hospital were cold, as always. The white walls met with the white tile floors, accented with white benches. A couple of pieces of art were hug in white picture frames, consisting mostly of the colors grey and white. Medic-nins could be seen walking around in their white attire, sometimes pushing white gurneys or carrying stacks of white papers. The only color to be seen was from either visitors or the windows in the patient's rooms. Hinata walked through the monotony, arriving at Naruto's room. She hesitated, as always, before opening the door. Sakura's suggestion hung heavy in her mind. Part of her wanted to fling open the door, see Naruto's eyes gaze upon her, and for her to release all of her feelings onto him. Another part of her feared what she had to do. She had always been nervous around him. She wasn't particularly sure why. Maybe it was his personality. Maybe it was his looks. Maybe it was both. Hinata only knew that she would have a difficult time speaking to him. And that she would have to find the courage to overcome it. She swallowed once, then slid the door open. She walked into the room, placed her things next to the door, and approached the bed. Naruto's limp body lie on the mattress, his lower half covered by the blankets. His torso was wrapped with bandages from his right shoulder diagonally across his chest to his lower-left side. Even with the bandages in the way, Hinata could make out his well-chiseled body. A direct result of his intense training, he was lean and muscular. Hinata moved her eyes up to his face. There were still some cuts, but they had mostly healed. His whisker marks on either side of his face moved up and down as Naruto took in and released his breaths. His eyes were closed, and his eyebrows were brought together slightly, as if he was in thought.

"Sakura…chan?" He asked weakly, though his eyes were still closed.

Hinata gasped quietly; he was finally awake. Although a small pang of jealousy surged through her at hearing Sakura's name escape from his lips, she was still glad that he was speaking.

"No… not Sakura…"

Hinata looked at Naruto strangely. 'Is he dreaming?' she wondered.

"Hmm… Tsunade?"

'What is he thinking about?'

"No… not Tsunade…"

Hinata watched as Naruto brought his eyebrows closer together, as if he were intently concentrating on something.

"Hmm… not Sakura… not Tsunade… then who?" Naruto concentrated on his unknown subject for a few more second before relaxing his face and smiling. "Mmm… Hinata…" With that, he cracked his eyes open slightly, looking at a startled Hinata. "Glad to see you're ok…"

Hinata didn't know what to do. He must have been trying to sense her chakra earlier. The fact that he was not only speaking but very much awake made her unbelievably happy. She was caught off guard, though, making her mind revert back to old habits. She felt herself begin to blush again.

"O-o-oh… H-hey, N-Naruto-kun," she managed to stutter, mentally kicking herself for doing so. She had just built up the courage to speak clearly when it shattered. "I-I'm fine, th-thanks…" Naruto chuckled quietly, but ended up in a coughing fit. After he had cleared his lungs, he took one more deep breath and released, removing the tension from his body. Hinata looked at him worriedly. "A-are you o-ok?" she asked him timidly.

"Yea, don't worry about it," he said with a smile on his face. He started to sit up, but pain surged through his shoulder and back, causing a grimace to appear on his face and forcing him to lie back down. "Come in, Sakura," he called out. "You're not interrupting anything."

There was the sound of a sliding door behind Hinata. She turned to see Sakura walk in with clipboard in-hand. "Naruto, someday I'm gonna get in here without you sensing me, you just watch," she said as she commenced her examination. She picked up the chart at the end of the bed, glanced over it quickly, and jotted down a few notes. She pulled a stool up next to Hinata and Naruto, and began to examine his body. "So, have you and Hinata been talking long?"

"Nah, not really. She just got here a few minutes ago," Naruto replied, his face contorting in pain every so often as Sakura's hand felt his injuries. "I'm really glad you came, though," he continued, looking at Hinata. "I was getting worried that you were hurt from the fall."

Hinata blushed and looked away timidly. "Hinata was really worried about _you_," she heard Sakura tell him. "She's been sitting out on that bench since you got back, and she's visited you every day since."

Naruto's eyes widened and he continued to watch the shy girl look away. "Oh… Sorry, Hinata. I didn't want you to worry so much about me…"

Hinata finally built up the courage to look back at her crush. "I-It's no problem, Naruto-kun. I-I'm really glad you're better…"  
The room remained silent for a while, broken only by the sounds of Naruto's sharp intakes of breath as Sakura looked at some of more tender areas, namely his shoulders, back, and neck. Hinata sat quietly and watched him, still feeling bad for all the pain he was going through.

"Well, you look fine," Sakura said, writing a few more notes on her notepad. "I'm still amazed at how quickly you recover from these injuries. Just don't move around too much and you should be outta here in about a week or so." Naruto watched as Sakura motioned Hinata aside. When they were out of Naruto's hearing range, Sakura asked, "So, have you asked him yet?"

Hinata blushed and whispered back, "N-no… not yet…"

"Why not?"

"W-well, I was going to… but he... sorta surprised me when he guessed who I was by sensing my chakra."

"Mmm… Yea, he does that a lot. So are you going to ask him?"

"W-well, I-I don't…"

"Great!" Sakura whispered, a smirk on her face. Before Hinata could stop her, Sakura turned to leave.

"Ok, I'll be back tomorrow. Oh hey, Naruto. Hinata has something she wants to ask you." Sakura smiled to herself and walked out the door, sliding it closed behind her.

Hinata let out a small "Eep!" and turned away, her face turning red.

Naruto looked at the dark-haired girl in confusion. "Hinata? Are you ok?"

"I-I'm f-fine…" Hinata tried to turn around, but couldn't bring herself to do so. "I'm… I'm just… I don't know if I can ask you…"

"Is about why I did what I did?"

"Y-yea…"

Naruto closed his eyes and let out a breath. "I honestly couldn't tell you if I tried…" Naruto said, opening his eyes again. "I… I just sorta… reacted… I saw you fall into that hole, and before I knew what I was doing, I was throwing myself down there after you…"

"W-why didn't you use a shadow clone?"

Naruto looked down at the bandages across his chest. "I don't know. I wasn't thinking clearly… I was just so… worried about you…" He looked up at her, his deep blue eyes connecting with her pale white eyes.

Hinata's body flinched slightly, but somehow she didn't blush. His eyes were giving her strength. The strength and confidence she so desperately needed. She walked over to the stool and sat down next to the bed. "You could have saved yourself from all this pain," she said, slightly surprised at the lack of stuttering.

"I wasn't thinking that far ahead… I seem to have a problem with that a lot," he replied, smiling at his self-aimed joke. "Like I said, I saw you fall and I only thought of trying to save you. If you're ok, all of this pain is worth it."

Hinata smiled, even as her stomach began to tighten up. She knew she had to ask him, and she hoped that her newfound confidence would help her. "Naruto-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you… When you went after me… I don't know how to put this…" Hinata sat perched on her stool, trying to organize her thoughts into sentences. Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on hers. She looked down to see Naruto's fingers on top of her own.

"I don't know what you're trying to say, but you can tell me anything," Naruto spoke quietly, but with assurance. "If you're not comfortable saying it now, then come back later. It's not like I'm going anywhere for a while."

Naruto's words soothed her mind and erased her unease, while the warmth from his hands surged up her arms into her chest, from where it spread throughout her entire body. "No, Naruto-kun. I want to ask you now."

Naruto smiled. "Ok, Hinata. I'm listening."

"When you jumped after me… I know that you were worried about me," she said, pausing to collect her thoughts before continuing. "Did you rush after me… because… you cared about me?"

"Hinata, what kind of question was that?" Naruto asked, slightly puzzled that she would get nervous about something so trivial. "Of course I care about you. You're one of my friends. I'll be damned if I-"

"No, Naruto-kun. I-I meant if you… cared about me… As in… you know…"

Naruto lie in his bed, trying to figure out what she was talking about. "I'm sorry… I don't understand…"

Hinata sighed. 'I guess I will have to just outright say it…' She built up her courage asked, "What… What I'm trying to say is… d-did you do that… because you..." Unable to say it, she merely raised her hand and extended her pinky finger.

Naruto sat in his bed, dumbstruck. "O-oh… W-well… I… never really…thought about it…" He said in broken sentences. "Uh… I-I don't really… know…" Hinata looked at him, noticing his stuttering and his look of deep thought. He looked up at her, making eye contact. "I-I need some time… to think about it…"

Hinata smiled at him. She was glad that she finally asked him how he felt, and that she no longer had to carry that weight on her conscience. She giggled, noticing that he was the one stuttering now. She got up and began to walk out of the room. "I understand, Naruto-kun. I'll come back tomorrow." Sliding open the door, she turned around once more to see Naruto lying restfully on the bed, his eyes closed in thought. "Bye," she said, before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her quietly.

"Bye, Hinata...-chan…"

As these last words escaped from his lips, Hinata's heart leapt, and smiled. She was about to walk down the hallway when she saw Sakura leaning on the wall next to the door. She merely gave her a smile and a knowing nod before leaving to check up on some other patients. Hinata silently thanked Sakura for her help and turned to leave, walking down the hallways, her mind lost in its euphoric state.

* * *

'Why _did_ I do it?' Naruto asked himself, staring at the ceiling. 'I know I wasn't thinking when I did it, but…'

**"When have you ever thought something through before?"  
**  
"Dammit! You shut the hell up!"

**"Do not make me angry, boy. I despise you enough as is."  
**  
"And you think I don't hate you?"

**"You do realize that without me, you would just be an idiot."  
**  
"Like hell I would be! I'm stronger than you."

**"Kukukuku… Do not make me laugh, boy. You, a child who has not even reached adulthood, is more powerful than me, an immortal demon. Your claims amuse me."  
**  
"Think whatever you like, Kyuubi. I am more powerful than you. Now, if you don't mind, I have important things to think about."

**"Ahh... It seems the jinchuuriki has fallen for the lavender-eyed one."  
**  
"Nobody's said that yet."

**"You are a dense one. You cannot even detect your own feelings, while I can."  
**  
"Yea? Then you know how much I hate you. Hey, here's an idea; how about you shut up and leave me alone?"

**"Your insolence irks me. I will leave you for now. Do me a favor; try to become less stupid by the next time I talk to you."** With that, the Kyuubi vacated Naruto's mind, leaving Naruto able to continue his thinking in solitude.

'Damn that fox!' Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. He really wanted to walk around and think, but in his current state, he couldn't do much. Instead, he twiddled his thumbs and relaxed into his bed. 'So… what made me do that?' For such a seemingly simple question, Naruto was having a difficult time pinpointing exactly what made him do that. 'Is it possible that I like her?' Naruto sat up. 'Well… maybe…' he thought, and he went through and listed her qualities.

She was really nice. Not just kind-of nice. _Extremely_ nice. As far back as he could remember, she had always been supportive of him, even though she tended to be shy about it. She was one of the first people to recognize him for who he was, instead of as a demon. Granted, she didn't know his secret back then, but even after word passed on to her about his 'other half', she continued to treat him the same. They had never talked or hung out too much, but they still did some small talk, and would go on missions every once in a while. 'I wish I had noticed that earlier,' Naruto thought to himself.

She was strong. The only thing that she lacked was confidence. Even though she could be shy, she had a fierce loyalty and compassion towards all of her friends and teammates. And although she didn't like hurting people, she was a powerful fighter. Her techniques were subtle, but effective, and unique to her. She did not direct her attacks with her chakra, but rather with her body movements. 'I should try and learn something like that.'

Lastly, she was good looking. 'Good looking? No, she's more than that,' Naruto thought. 'She's absolutely gorgeous.' He felt slightly odd admitting that to himself, but he knew it to be true. She was beautiful. Her skin, pale and smooth, felt warm to the touch. Her hair, long and dark violet, flowed freely in the wind. But by far the most captivating part of her was her eyes. They were more beautiful than words could describe. White, with a slight lavender tint to them, and no pupils. A gaze that could render him immobile. A smile to compliment the rest of her face. Everything about her was perfect.

'Hinata really is an amazing person,' Naruto thought to himself, nearing the end of his thought train. 'And knowing that she feels for me as much as she does…' Naruto looked out of the window. Day had come and gone, and now the night was making its debut. Orange streaks of sunlight smattered over the clouds were slowly being taken over by the soft pale light of the moon. The orange and pale colors began to swirl together, producing a beautiful sight to behold. The orange clouds began to swirl around towards each other, forming intricate patterns. Naruto noticed that some of the clouds had lost their sunlit glow, replaced by the soft moonlight. He watched in awe as two spirals came together in the sky to form a familiar shape.

A heart. The upper left half of which was emanating a pale glow, while the lower right half continued to shine a vibrant orange. Naruto smiled. 'I guess I'd never really thought about her that way before.' He happily closed his eyes and drifted off into a blissful slumber.

* * *

'I know I should… but… what if… I don't know…' Hinata's mind went back and forth as she stood outside of Naruto's room, her fingers wrapped around the door handle. 'Ok… here goes…' With that, she slid the door open quietly and peeked inside. To both her relief and disappointment, she saw Naruto sleeping quietly. She walked in and dragged a stool next to the bed. Sitting down, she watched Naruto's chest rise and fall as he breathed in and out. His hair, grown long since his mentor's death, ran down his neck past his shoulders, and his bangs partially covered his eyes. Her heart jumped slightly when she felt his hand cover hers, which was sitting on the metal sides of the bed. His eyes opened, revealing two deep blue orbs piercing her with their gaze.

"Hey," he said simply. He looked at her beautiful face and asked, "So, you doing anything on Saturday, two weeks from now?"

Hinata blushed, but smiled. Naruto was inviting her to the Festival of Roses, which was held every year on the Saturday after Valentine's Day. It was generally a very romantic evening. Aspiring singles, couples, and local bands would perform music for the crowd, and there was a large plaza set aside for a stage and dance floor. All of the stores would close for the evening, and the streets would be lit with decorative lights. Hinata had been a few times, with friends, but had never had a date. 'This is probably Naruto's first time going to something like this, also,' she thought. "I'd love to go with you… Naruto-kun." She looked as Naruto gave her a smile. Not a fake smile, as he used to do. A genuine smile, full of happiness. He gave her hand a small squeeze, and the two looked into the other's eyes, enjoying their company.

* * *

'Ok, done with that room. Next room is… Naruto's.' Sakura flipped to the next page on her clipboard and headed down to his room. She quietly slid the door open, and saw Hinata sitting next to Naruto, fingers entwined with his. A small pang of jealousy ran up her spine, but she quickly shook it off. 'Wow,' she thought. 'I didn't think she'd actually ask him.' Even though Sakura admitted she was slightly envious of the long-haired girl, she was also happy for the two of them. 'It's about damn time,' she said to herself as she silently closed the door and walked down the hallway to her next patient.


End file.
